Atmosphere

This book is everything I didn't know I needed.  The story is about space, stars, and astronauts but also about so much more. It's about family and friendships, love, grief, dreams and ambitions. It addresses queerness in the '80s, and women in male-dominated fields, breaking barriers and making history. Reid's beautiful, atmospheric writing ties everything together with such passion and emotion, pulling you deeper into the story with every page. The story makes you feel the vastness of space, and how tiny we are in it all. But also, how important we are to the people we love, and the responsibility we take on in life, even when we feel insignificant. The setting is so good and well researched, I didn't even know I was that interested in space before reading this book. And the characters? They're so authentic and real, I grew such a deep emotional connection to them. Absolutely one of my favorite books this year.

What an amazing book! So sad, yet so full of hope. I truly loved every single second of it, and I’m really happy with how the characters and the plot developed. This story gave me hope for a kinder, more understanding future. Definitely keep some tissues on hand!

I've stalled reading this book for quite a while, because I was reeeaalllllly afraid I'd break my "Taylor's books are literally the air I breathe"-streak. Well now I feel really freaking stupid because I finished this book in one sitting and bawled my eyes out in doing so. I found the style of writing a little bit less interesting than in her last four books, but still I really enjoyed reading this story and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who asks. (and if we're being honest here, everyone who takes a breath of air next to me will hear about this)

Taylor Jenkins Reid once again blew all my expectations. This Novel not only takes you on a journey through space but also through every conceivable emotion. Joan is such an inspiring main protagonist, standing up for herself and her ambitions in life. I was so invested in the whole Nasa and Stargazing thing that I was about to buy myself a telescope and become an Astronaut myself. Atmosphere is not only about love, it's about fighting for your dreams, it's an elegy to the stars, about grief and becoming the Person you want to be.

Joan Goodwin and all her friends—although you could also call them family—are, as always with Taylor Jenkins Reid, characters so tangible you could almost be watching a documentary. It's exciting to see how they rise above themselves, have their own, deeply personal motivations, and yet all want to achieve the same thing: to have been in space once. And in doing so, they take us not only on this journey to the stars, but also on an emotional rollercoaster, because what would such a book be without emotional chaos and interwoven relationships? Besides that, "Atmosphere" is simply incredibly well written, and I can't even imagine the research that was necessary for this book. Taylor Jenkins Reid has clearly shown what she's capable of here once again. My only complaint is that I found the past timeline a bit slow in places. Of course, I found it exciting to get to know all the characters and see how they bond, but I missed a bit of the drama and twists of fate that so often appear in Reid's novels. The present timeline almost completely made up for that, though. Overall, a great book! /// Joan Goodwin und all ihre Freunde, wobei man eigentlich auch Familie sagen kann, sind wie immer bei Taylor Jenkins Reid Charaktere, die so greifbar sind, man könnte auch eine Doku am schauen sein. Es ist einfach mitreißend zu sehen, wie sie über sich hinauswachsen, ihre eigenen, zutiefst persönlichen Antriebe haben und trotzdem alle dasselbe erreichen wollen: Ein Mal im All gewesen zu sein. Und dadurch nehmen sie uns nicht nur mit auf diese Reise zu den Sternen, sondern auch auf eine emotionale Achterbahn, denn was wäre ein solches Buch nur ohne Gefühlschaos und verwobene Beziehungen. Außerdem ist "Atmosphere" einfach super gut geschrieben und die Recherche, die für dieses Buch nötig war, will ich mir erst gar nicht vorstellen. Taylor Jenkins Reid hat hier eindeutig erneut gezeigt, was sie kann. Mein einziges Manko ist, dass ich die vergangene Zeitlinie teilweise etwas langsam fand. Natürlich fand ich es spannend alle Charaktere überhaupt erstmal kennenzulernen und zu sehen, wie sie zusammenwachsen, doch mir hat ein wenig das Drama und die Schicksalsschläge gefehlt, zu denen es sonst so oft in Reids Romanen kommt. Die gegenwärtige Zeitlinie hat das aber fast komplett wettgemacht. Im Großen und Ganzen ein klasse Buch!